Creating a Better Testing Future: The World Is Changing and We Must Change With It: An Interview with Lee Copeland

With more than thirty years of experience as an information systems professional at commercial and nonprofit organizations, Lee Copeland has held technical and managerial positions in applications development, software testing, and software process improvement.

Lee Copeland will be presenting a presentation titled "Creating a Better Testing Future: The World Is Changing and We Must Change With It" at STARCANADA 2014, which will take place April 5-9, 2014.

About "Creating a Better Testing Future: The World Is Changing and We Must Change With It":

The IEEE 829 Test Documentation standard is thirty years old this year. Boris Beizer’s first book on software testing also turned thirty. Testing Computer Software, the best selling book on software testing, is twenty-five. During the last three decades, hardware platforms have evolved from mainframes to minis to desktops to laptops to tablets to smartphones. Development paradigms have shifted from waterfall to agile. Consumers expect more functionality, demand higher quality, and are less loyal to brands. The world has changed dramatically and testing must change to match it. Testing processes that helped us succeed in the past may prevent our success in the future. Lee Copeland gives his insights into the future of testing, sharing his do’s and don’ts in the areas of technology, organization, test processes, test plans, and automation. Join Lee for a thought-provoking look at creating a better testing future.

Cameron: All right, today we have Lee Copeland. He will be speaking at STARCANADA April 5 through April 9 in a session called "Creating a Better Testing Future: The World Is Changing and We Must Change with It." All right, Lee, to give you a rundown of what we have for you, we have:

With more than thirty years' experience as an information systems professional at commercial and nonprofit organizations, Lee Copeland has held technical and managerial positions in applications development, software testing, and software process improvement. Lee has developed and taught numerous training courses on software development and testing issues and is a well-known speaker with our very own Software Quality Engineering. Lee presents at software conferences in the United States and abroad. He is also the author of the popular reference book A Practitioner’s Guide to Software Test Design. Did we cover everything, Lee?

Lee: You did, except the son of poor but honest parents, raised in a log cabin, who pulled himself up by the bootstraps. That whole thing.

Cameron: Your session, again, is titled "Creating a Better Testing Future: The World Is Changing and We Must Change with It," and that speaks to the future of software testing. My first question for you is: For a lot of companies and people, the testing methodologies that they’re using still works for them, so why should anyone be concerned with changing with the new testing trends?

Lee: That’s a good question. The first question I would respond back to you with is: What do you mean by “still work”? What does that mean? Does that mean that their techniques are efficient? Are they effective? Do they work as well as possible? Do they find a high percentage of defects? Do they find them quickly and early at the lowest cost? If that’s the case, then I don’t see any reason to change.

The question then I would ask is: Are they building the same applications over and over again, with the same functionality on the same platforms? They’re probably not. In that case, their world is changing, and their test techniques probably should change with it.

Cameron: Are there any test processes, methodologies, or practices that are likely to stay as testing continues to evolve?

Lee: I think the classic parts of testing—the planning, that analysis, the design, execution, monitoring, reporting—those things will all stay. I think their form is going to evolve. We do more just-in-time planning than we used to. We monitor better than we used to. I think those basic things are going to stay.

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About the author

When not working on his theory of time travel, Cameron T. Philipp-Edmonds is writing for TechWell, StickyMinds, and AgileConnection. With a background in advertising and marketing, Cameron is partial to the ways that technology can enhance a company's brand equity. In his personal life, Cameron enjoys long walks on the beach, romantic dinners by candlelight, and playing practical jokes on his coworkers.